Bloom Survives Early Onslaught, Holds Off Crete-Monee 7-6

The Crete-Monee varsity baseball team showcased tremendous fight and aggressive baserunning, but ultimately fell a run short as visiting Bloom escaped with a 7-6 conference victory on Wednesday afternoon.

The game began with fireworks, as Bloom’s offense erupted out of the gate to hang five runs on the board in the top of the first inning. Unfazed by the early deficit, Crete-Monee immediately responded. After scratching across a run in the bottom of the first, the hosts mounted a furious rally in the second inning. Crete-Monee plated four runs in the frame, capitalizing on patient at-bats and taking advantage of a Bloom defense that committed a pair of errors on the day.

Senior Keyshon James delivered the heavy hitting for Crete-Monee, lacing a triple and driving in a team-high three runs. Fellow senior AJ Monegan was a constant nuisance at the top of the lineup, finishing a perfect 1-for-1 at the plate while drawing three walks and scoring three times. Crete-Monee also utilized an incredibly aggressive strategy on the basepaths to constantly apply pressure, successfully stealing nine bases as a team. Monegan and Garrett Jemilo led the charge with two stolen bases apiece.

Bloom managed to extend its lead with single runs in both the second and third innings, providing just enough of a cushion to withstand Crete-Monee’s comeback efforts. Gavin Jemilo started on the mound for the hosts and battled through five innings, striking out six. While he surrendered seven runs, only four were earned, as defensive miscues extended several scoring opportunities for Bloom.

Senior Elijah Clemons entered in relief and delivered two brilliant, scoreless innings to keep Crete-Monee within striking distance. He yielded just one hit and struck out two, giving his offense a chance in the final frames. Crete-Monee pushed a run across in the bottom of the sixth to make it a one-run game, but Bloom managed to shut the door in the seventh to secure the narrow 7-6 road victory.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• First Inning:

  • Bloom opens the game with a massive 5-run frame.

  • Crete-Monee answers with 1 run in the bottom half.

• Second Inning:

  • Bloom tacks on 1 run to extend the lead to 6-1.

  • Crete-Monee erupts for 4 runs to cut the deficit to 6-5.

• Third Inning:

  • Bloom manufactures 1 run to make it 7-5.

• Sixth Inning:

  • Crete-Monee plates 1 run, narrowing the Bloom lead to 7-6.

Individual Statistics

BATTING:

• Crete-Monee: K. James (1-3, 3B, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB); A. Monegan (1-1, 3 R, 3 BB); K. Quaderer (1-4, 2B, 1 RBI); C. Aguilar (1-3); B. Milburn (1-3, 1 R); G. Jemilo (0-4, 1 RBI); C. Graham (0-3); T. Burnett (0-4); W. Love (0-2, 1 BB).

PITCHING:

• Crete-Monee: G. Jemilo (L, 5.0 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K); E. Clemons (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K).

BASERUNNING:

• Crete-Monee: SB – A. Monegan (2), G. Jemilo (2), W. Johnson, K. James, C. Aguilar, B. Milburn, W. Love.